Department for Transport

SS Richard Montgomery

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the dangers posed by the explosives on board the wreck of SS Richard Montgomery; whether shortening the masts of the vessel willensure the level of safety required on a busy waterway; and whatassessment they have made as to whether complete removal of the explosives is (1) necessary, and (2) feasible.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Managing the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery is a priority for the Department. The wreck is under 24-hour surveillance, and we actively monitor its condition through annual surveys. The results are assessed by an expert group and, following their recommendation, we are progressing a project to investigate removal of the vessel’s masts. We will continue to assess the condition of the wreck and consider expert advice in future to ensure any potential risks are minimised.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy Company Obligation

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of including all energy-saving technologies that reduce the cost of heating or hot water into the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

Lord Callanan: The targets for the current iteration of ECO, ECO4, are based on the Home Heating and Cost Reduction Obligation (HHCRO) powers set out in the Electricity Act 1989, Section 41B, and Gas Act 1986, Section 33BD. This allows Government to set a target for the promotion of measures for reducing the cost to individuals of heating their homes. Therefore, measures which do not result in space heating savings are not within scope. ECO4 is focused on installing energy-efficiency and heating measures in lower income and otherwise vulnerable households across Great Britain. The scheme will run from 2022 to 2026 and is valued at £1 billion a year. This is predicted to help an extra 450,000 families with green measures that reduce the cost of heating such as insulation.

Water: Conservation

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of water efficiency measures in helping achieve the government’s net zero aims.

Lord Callanan: As outlined in the Energy-related Products Policy Framework, the Government estimates 0.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent could be saved over Carbon Budget 5 through consumer behaviour change encouraged by a mandatory water label on taps and non-electric showers. Defra has already committed to mandatory water labelling on taps and non-electric showers, among other products, and is working closely with BEIS officials to explore the inclusion of energy efficiency information on the labels in order to best support consumers to make energy- and money-saving purchases. The Government will continue to explore the feasibility of other efficiency measures for these products.Energy-related Products Policy Framework (pdf, 878.7KB)

Agriculture: Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the acreage of permanent pasture ploughed up as a result of the Renewable Heat Initiative in England.

Lord Callanan: The Government has not undertaken an assessment and does not hold this information.

Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Illness: Community Care

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support seriously mentally ill people so that they avoid going to prison.

Lord Kamall: Liaison and Diversion services operate at police stations and criminal courts in England to identify and assess people with vulnerabilities, such as substance misuse and mental ill-health, to refer them to services and, where appropriate, away from the justice system. Liaison and Diversion services have covered 100% of the population of England since April 2020. The Ministry of Justice, the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities have developed a new protocol to increase the use of community sentence treatment requirements in courts to reduce reoffending. The use of short-term custodial sentences may address the health and social issues of the offender. We have provided £12 million to establish 21 programme sites for mental health treatment requirements.

Immunosuppression: Health Services

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of UK care standards for immunocompromised patients; what assessment they have made of these in comparison to international standards; and what assessment they have made of the failure to provide pre-exposure prophylactic treatments to eligible patients.

Lord Kamall: The United Kingdom has made treatments available to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death for patients whose immune system means they are at the highest risk from COVID-19. Eligible patients who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by a clinician from a COVID Medicines Delivery Unit to discuss treatment suitability. The clinically eligible cohorts have been determined by an independent expert group commissioned by the Department and included in a clinical policy agreed by the UK Chief Medical Officers.The Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce engages with other nations to share learning on the use, deployment and evaluation of therapeutics and antivirals. This includes monitoring whether and how other countries are using pre-exposure prophylactic treatments which may inform our policy on its use.The Department is currently evaluating prophylaxis through the efficacy of the drug Evusheld. Before a decision is made to introduce a prophylactic treatment, it must be clinically cost effective and demonstrate sufficient efficacy against Omicron and new variants. However, no specific assessment has been made of the failure to provide such treatments. The Therapeutics Clinical Review Panel provides advice on the most appropriate patient cohorts for new COVID-19 therapies, including preventative treatments. Final clinical policies and eligibility would be proposed by the National Health Service and agreed by the UK Chief Medical Officers.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Officers

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent levels of (1) retention, and (2) cumulative experience, of prison officers.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: HMPPS does not have a standard definition of ‘retention rates’ however we do publish information on leaving rates which can be used as a proxy. The leaving rate is the number of staff who have left the department in the previous 12 months divided by the average number of people in post over the same period of time. Figures for leaving rates to 31 December 2021 are available in published workforce statistics here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-december-2021 Figures for leaving rates by grade can be found in the table 11 of the Excel tables accompanying the publication. The cumulative length of service, in years, held by all Band 3-5 Prison Officer as at 31st December 2021 is 240,501 years, based on a headcount of 23,123 staff or 22,156 Full Time Equivalent. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers.HL204_table (xlsx, 18.9KB)

Prisons: Education

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what comparative assessment they have made of the levels of pay for education staff (1) working in prisons, and (2) not working in prisons.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Education within the prison setting in England is contracted out and teacher pay, therefore, is a matter for the contract suppliers. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree such matters with the Ministry of Justice.Providers of contracted services play an important role in the prison estate and we continue to monitor the delivery of Prisoner Education Services to raise prisoners’ levels of numeracy, literacy, skills and qualifications with the aim of helping them secure jobs or apprenticeships on their release.

CAFCASS and Probation Service

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of current workload of staff in (1) the Probation Service; and (2) the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: (1) As of March 2022, 96% of Probation staff (Probation Officers and Probation Service Officers) hold less than 50 cases, with an average caseload of 34 (rounded down to nearest full number). The average caseload for the 4% who hold over 50 cases is 59. The Probation Service is committed to providing a quality service in order to achieve its mission of protecting the public, supporting victims and reducing reoffending. We recruited a total of 1,007 trainees (against a target of 1000) in 2020/21 and 1,522 trainee probation officers (against a target of 1,500) in 2021/2022. Further recruitment is planned in 2022/23. This will ensure that the Service has the resources it needs. (2) The number of open active children’s cases within Cafcass was 34,834 in May 2022. This has reduced from 38,178 in April 2021, but still represents an increase of 15.1% on pre-pandemic levels. Officials at the Ministry of Justice are in regular contact with Cafcass management to ensure it has the resources it needs to manage staff workloads. For 2022/23, the Ministry of Justice has provided Cafcass with a budget increase of £8.4m from its 2021/22 starting position. All public law work continues to be allocated in Cafcass in the usual way and within established timescales.

Department for International Trade

Supply Chains

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create a cross-industry and government-backed task force to assess the resilience of the UK's supply chains.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: Supply chain resilience is a priority for HM Government. In October, the Prime Minister appointed Sir Dave Lewis to advise on supply chains and identify both immediate improvements and any necessary long-term changes. We are working to secure the supply chains of the future already, including for critical minerals, by working with like-minded nations around the world. Industry involvement is crucial to enhancing our understanding and the visibility of critical supply chains, and in working to take action to strengthen their resilience. We regularly engage with businesses to better understand vulnerabilities, risks, business impacts and the adaption measures being taken to improve the resilience of supply chains.

Exports: Agricultural Products

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the National Farmers UnionGrowing our agri-food exports to 2030 and beyond,published on 27 April, what plans they have to increase the number of agri-food experts in British embassies located in target markets for future free trade agreements.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Department for International Trade has staff in more than 100 markets across the world who are helping British businesses in the agriculture, food, and drink sector to trade with the world. HM Government additionally has a dedicated agricultural attaché in the United Arab Emirates, which is a member of the Gulf Co-operation Council, with whom we aim to begin negotiations for a free trade agreement soon. We aim to have a total of ten agricultural attachés in growth markets across North and South America, Africa and Asia by the end of 2022.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

China: Solomon Islands

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security pact between the People's Republic of China and the Solomon Islands.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As set out in the Integrated Review (March 2021), the UK is committed to and strategically focussed on the Indo-Pacific region. As a longstanding partner and friend, the UK works to support peace and prosperity for the people of Solomon Islands and across the Pacific region. Our recent deployment of a UK Emergency Medical Team demonstrates our commitment to Solomon Islands.

China: Papua New Guinea

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the People's Republic of China's involvement in Papua New Guinea.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As set out in the Integrated Review (March 2021), the UK is committed to and strategically focussed on the Indo-Pacific region. The UK and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have shared priorities including protecting the environment, security, stability, economic development and tackling climate change. Following PNG's request for assistance, the UK sent an Emergency Medical Team in October 2021, which provided clinical care support to PNG's healthcare workers.

China: Pacific Ocean Islands

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Australia to ensure an integrated response to the growing influence of the People's Republic of China in the South Pacific.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As set out in the Integrated Review (March 2021), the UK is committed to and strategically focussed on the Indo-Pacific region. The UK's close partnership with Australia is an important part of this Indo-Pacific focus. As champions of freedom and democracy, the UK and Australia work together to defend our values, in line with the UK's commitment to build a 'network of liberty'. The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary visited Australia in January 2022 for talks to strengthen economic, diplomatic and security ties. UK officials also regularly meet their Australian counterparts to discuss a wide range of topics, including supporting the development needs of countries in the Pacific.

Pacific Ocean Islands: British Overseas Territories

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the UK’s naval capability in supporting British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories in the South Pacific.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is committed to defending the British Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, in line with our constitutional responsibilities. The Pitcairn Islands are the sole UK Overseas Territory in the Pacific. The Ministry of Defence maintains high-readiness maritime, land and air assets to deter and respond to threats globally, including the appropriate naval capability to support the British Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. HMS Spey recently visited Pitcairn Island where it delivered COVID-19 vaccines and patrolled the Exclusive Economic Zone.

Africa: Food Supply

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take, if any, with international partners to prevent an increase in acute food insecurity in Africa as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Even before the conflict in Ukraine, 273 million people needed humanitarian assistance globally and 43 million people were one step from famine. Russia's invasion is further accelerating this trend through its impact on food, fuel, and fertiliser prices. The UK is stepping up to respond. We have announced a package of emergency humanitarian assistance to address rising food insecurity in Africa, and provided £72.25 million for crises in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan. At the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings in April, the UK and our partners secured the largest ever financial commitment from the World Bank of $170 billion over the next 15 months to support countries impacted by the Russian invasion. We are also calling for all countries to keep food trade flowing; we know from the last global food crisis that this is the best way to keep prices down.

Islamic State

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government who represented the UK government at the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Marrakesh on Wednesday 11 May; and what conclusions the meeting reached with regard to Coalition action against ISIS in Africa, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The British Ambassador to Morocco, Simon Martin, represented the UK government at the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh Ministerial meeting in Marrakesh on Wednesday 11 May. I [Lord Ahmad, Minister for South Asia and Central Asia, North Africa, the United Nations and the Commonwealth] was unable to attend. The conclusions regarding Coalition action against Daesh in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Africa are available in the Ministerial Communique. This is available at https://theglobalcoalition.org/en/communique-global-coalition-morocco/

Education: International Cooperation

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential of online learning platforms to improve global access to education; and whichplatforms they consider most appropriate for international use.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Online learning platforms can certainly support children's learning. There are a wide variety of platforms available, and the best one for any context will depend on the availability of infrastructure and, importantly, student, teacher, and content readiness in each country.Well-informed use of education technology (EdTech) has the potential to transform education systems for the most marginalised. Its use was particularly important during the COVID pandemic, when children and their teachers were forced to move to online education. However, EdTech is not a silver bullet and many interventions, particularly those focused on buying new hardware, have failed because of poor support to teachers and children beyond the hardware or weak fit with the specific context. More robust research is needed on impact, cost-effectiveness, and the equity implications of EdTech. Together with the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the FCDO supports the EdTech Hub with £22 million of UK aid for research to help decision-makers take evidence-based decisions on EdTech. UK research has already helped over 85 million learners.

Ukraine: Exports

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to create a safe sea channel for (1) agricultural, and (2) other exports, from Ukraine to the outside world, usingsuch military force as may be necessary.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Russia's war against Ukraine is making food insecurity an issue for people everywhere, in particular for the poorest and most vulnerable. Russia's blockage of Ukrainian ports and destruction of civilian infrastructure has further exacerbated the dysfunctionality of in global agricultural supply chains and food systems. President Zelenskyy has called on the international community to take immediate steps to end the Russian blockade and has been followed by repeated calls from the World Food Programme for Russia to allow the re-opening of the ports at Odesa and allow food to flow freely. The UK is working with Ukraine and international partners to find ways, whether by sea or overland, to re-start the export of grain from Ukraine and to the countries that desperately need it. The focus of this effort is on agricultural exports, though it is possible the establishment of a corridor would allow other products to reach global markets. In addition, the UK led a statement on food security at the WTO, supported by nearly 60 countries, committing signatories to keeping their food and agricultural markets open, predictable and transparent by not imposing unjustified trade restrictive measures on agricultural and agri-food products.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current political and security situation in Sri Lanka following the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on 10 May.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are closely monitoring the political, economic and security situation in Sri Lanka. We encourage a peaceful, democratic, and inclusive approach to resolving the current political and economic challenges. We call on all parties to explore constructive and democratic ways of resolving the current situation.The UK Government strongly condemns the violence against peaceful protesters in Sri Lanka. Lord Ahmad, called for accountability for those responsible and for the right to protest peacefully to be protected. Fundamental rights including the right to peaceful protest, must be protected as part of a democratic resolution to current economic & political challenges.

Shireen Abu Akleh

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel and the Palestinian authorities on the need for a full, independent, transparent and accountable investigation into the killing of the Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on 11 May.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 11 May, the Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East [Amanda Milling] publicly expressed her sadness upon hearing news of the tragic death of veteran Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh, and called for a thorough investigation. The Foreign Secretary also made this clear in a statement on 12 May. Officials from the British Embassy in Tel Aviv have reiterated the importance of an investigation with the Israeli authorities. The safety of journalists across the globe is vital and they must be protected when carrying out their critical work.

Tuvalu: Climate Change

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to the government of Tuvalu to counter the effects of climate change on those islands.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Tuvalu, and other Pacific Island Countries, are amongst the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. As hosts of COP26, the UK brought together tens of thousands of delegates from 196 countries plus the EU to agree The Glasgow Climate Pact. Keeping global temperature rises below 1.5°C is essential for low lying atoll nations, such as Tuvalu, to cope with the impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels.Most UK aid in the Pacific is delivered through multilateral institutions such as the Green Climate Fund, which currently has two projects under implementation thatassist Tuvalu to counter the effects of climate change. The Tuvaluan Coastal Adaptation Project aims to protect Tuvalu from the impact of rising sea levels and increasing cyclone events. The second Green Climate Fund project aims to enhance the climate information services in five Pacific countries, including Tuvalu, and support increased climate-resilient sustainable development.The UK has also provided £1.2 million in co-funding to the Pacific to establish the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Hub. By supporting the planning and achievement of climate targets in NDCs, the Hub is contributing to sustainable and resilient development and the transition to a net-zero emissions development pathway in the Pacific.

Education: International Cooperation

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to improve global access to education.

The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to form partnerships to support the delivery of global education programmes.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The new International Development Strategy and the 2021 Girls' Education Action Plan set out the FCDO's approach to achieving our global targets of 40 million more girls in school, and 20 million more girls reading by age ten, by 2026. This includes using our diplomatic network to scale up efforts to get girls into school and learning; maximising the effectiveness and accountability of international education funds; and delivering high-quality bilateral education programmes. In 2021, as G7 President and hosts of the Global Education Summit and COP26, we led the world in prioritising girls' education in the global COVID recovery.This year we launched the Girls' Education Skills Partnership with the private sector to provide one million adolescent girls and young women with skills and training. We will use the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June to encourage more countries to sign the Heads of State declaration on education finance. We are working closely with partners ahead of the UN Secretary General's Transforming Education Summit in September to galvanise action for those most in need. We are building a new Coalition on Learning with like-minded partners to prioritise foundational learning for all as part of COVID recovery, and beyond.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Pollution Control

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards offering 100 per cent coverage for the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme across all farms in England.

Lord Benyon: The expansion of Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) to 100% coverage of England was agreed in March 2021 to provide advice and support for farmers and land managers to take action for water, air and flood management priorities. Over the past 12 months CSF has expanded to cover priority areas of England (86% coverage) including the recruitment of new Natural England farm advisers, with plans in place to extend CSF coverage to 100% of England by April 2023.

Home Office

Police: Pepper Spray and Stun Guns

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government under what circumstances police officers are permitted to be in possession of (1) PAVA spray, and (2) TASER, when they are off duty.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Decisions around the equipping of officers are operational matters for Chief Constables.

Asylum: Rwanda

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how members of the Monitoring Committee for the Migration and Economic Partnership Understanding with Rwanda will be appointed; how their independence will be assured; and what consultation will be undertaken for their appointment.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: As set out in paragraph 15 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) governing the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, an independent Monitoring Committee will monitor the entire relocation process and compliance with assurances in the MoU, including the processing of asylum claims and provision of support in Rwanda. More details on this will be set out in due course.

Asylum: Rwanda

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in respect of paragraph 9.1.2 of the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Rwanda for an asylum partnership arrangement signed in Kigali on 13 April, what equivalent standard applies in Rwanda for the Home Office requirement that interpreters are members of the Institute of Translating and Interpreting, The Chartered Institute of Linguists, or if with a company, then the latter is a member of the Association of Translation Companies.

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in respect of paragraph 9.1.2 of the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Rwanda for an asylum partnership arrangement, what is Rwandan law and practice for the provision of independent legal assistance of asylum seekers; and what assessment they have made of the capacity of the legal profession within Rwanda to take on the additional work relating to the partnership.

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in respect of paragraph 9.1.3 of the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Rwanda for an asylum partnership arrangement, what assessment they have made of the capacity of Rwanda to expand its appeals process.

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in respect of paragraph 11 of the Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Rwanda for an asylum partnership arrangement, under what circumstances they could make a request to the government of Rwanda to make a Relocated Individual available for return to the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government of Rwanda will process asylum claims in line with its obligations under the Refugee Convention and Rwandan law, both in terms of the provision of translators where needed and access to legal assistance. While Rwanda will accept responsibility for the relocated individuals and processing them under their asylum process, the UK is providing funding to support asylum processing and wider support costs. This includes safe and clean accommodation, food, healthcare and amenities. They will have full access to translators and will be able to access legal support to appeal decisions in Rwanda’s courts. The independent Monitoring Committee will monitor the entire relocation process from the beginning including the initial screening to relocation and settlement in Rwanda.Should the United Kingdom be legally obliged to facilitate a relocated individual’s return, the Memorandum of Understanding provides that Rwanda will take all reasonable steps in accordance with international human rights standards to facilitate this.

Asylum: Detainees

Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers were detained on (1) 30 April, and (2) the same day in each of the previous three months.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office publishes statistics on people in detention in the 'Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release', which can be found on Gov.uk. The number of people in detention at the end of each year is broken down by asylum and non-asylum in table Det_01, of the ‘Detention summary tables’, which can also be found attached. The latest data goes up to the end of December 2021. Data for January to March 2022 will be published on the 26 May 2022.Asylum-related cases refer to those where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior or during detention. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those retuned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but detained for other reasons (such as criminality).Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.Det_01 (xlsx, 14.7KB)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Elections

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following recent local council elections, what assessment they have made of the (1) advantages, and (2) disadvantages, of changing to a proportional system.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government was elected on a manifesto which included a commitment to continue to support use of the First Past the Post voting system. The Government believes the First Past the Post system is a robust and secure way of electing mayors and local councillors in England and provides for direct local accountability. It ensures a clear link between elected representatives and their electors in a manner that other voting systems may not.

Treasury

Cash Dispensing

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the withdrawal of ATMs ahead of the proposed powers in the Financial Services and Markets Bill coming into effect.

Baroness Penn: The Government recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash. LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre. Furthermore, LINK operates a scheme to enable communities with poor access to cash to request an ATM. The Government intends to introduce legislation on cash access as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill when Parliamentary time allows. The Government recently published a summary of responses to the Access to Cash consultation, setting out the government’s planned approach to legislating for access to cash.

Sequestration of Assets: Russia

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of Russian foreign exchange reserves that are held frozen in the UK.

Baroness Penn: The Russian government is unable to access any of their foreign exchange reserves held in the UK due to the measures the UK government have put in place that prevent UK persons from providing financial services for the purposes of foreign exchange and asset management to the Russian Ministry of Finance or Russia's Central Bank. No formal assessment has been made of the quantum of Russian foreign exchange reserves.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Dormant Assets Scheme

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have toprovide more capital via the Dormant Assets Act 2022.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Dormant Assets Act 2022 delivers on Her Majesty’s Government's commitment to expand the scheme. Over time, this will unlock an estimated £880 million for good causes across the UK.Her Majesty’s Government will launch a public consultation this summer on the social and/or environmental focus of the English portion. This is an opportunity to consider how future funds can be distributed in England.The Act provides the power to expand the scheme without the need for primary legislation. This will enable Her Majesty’s Government to respond more rapidly to opportunities to broaden the pool of eligible assets as they arise, alongside experience of managing dormant assets which will build over time.

Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Empey: To ask the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body how much has been spent to date on the proposed decant of the House of Lords to the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre during the Restoration and Renewal works.

Lord Best: From the creation of the Sponsor Body in April 2020 and the Delivery Authority in May 2020 to the end of March 2022, £10.9 million was spent on developing the plans for the proposed decant of the House of Lords to the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre, including design team and project management fees, business case work and surveys.This figure does not include costs - which cannot be reliably disaggregated - on work outside of the core House of Lords decant project.